Nuclear-armed North Korea said Wednesday that the weapon it tested a day earlier was a new "hypersonic missile" that can better evade defenses compared to ballistic missiles and be quickly deployed in the event of conflict.
The development of the new weapons system, which the North's state-run Korean Central News Agency called a Hwasong-8, had been “a top priority” of the regime and was an achievement “of great strategic significance” — a term often used to denote nuclear capabilities.
Hypersonic missiles are far faster and more maneuverable than ballistic ones, making them potentially difficult targets for missile defenses. The North has in recent years developed a spate of missiles better equipped at evading enemies’ defenses.